Napabuntong-hininga
nang malalim si Hesus at ang wika, “Bakit naghahanap ng tanda ang lahing ito?
Sinasabi ko sa inyo: hindi sila pagpapakitaan ng anumang tanda.” Iniwan niya
sila, at pagkasakay sa bangka ay tumawid sa ibayo.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to
you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who
are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will
grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors
treated the false prophets in this way.”
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Reflection:
There’s a story of a man in his late thirties who had a successful life in this world. Name it, and he had it—women, riches, power, and the like. It may have seemed that he was enjoying everything he was going through, but deep inside, he was empty. So, he resigned from his high-paying job and subsequently joined a Catholic organization that serves the poor.
His life there was simple, but he found real happiness and fulfillment. Many of his friends hated and insulted him for what he did. However, he did not mind them because he found Jesus in that organization and subsequently built a deep friendship with the Lord.
What is the main requirement to get closer to Jesus? It is to suffer for the sake of advancing His kingdom in this world. Without suffering for Christ, there would be no close friendship with Him.
Many of us are so afraid to suffer for Christ’s sake because it will disturb us. If we have this mentality, we are only thinking of ourselves and not the welfare of others. We are only concerned with what we can get from this present world (wealth, power, and the like) and forget about what awaits us after this life.
We may be stripped of our riches in our desire to get closer to Jesus. Many will hate us and even distance themselves from us. But what the heck! We must understand that we don’t live in this world to remain in this world. We live here now so that we may go to heaven and be with the Lord someday.
Our
motivation for existing in this world should always be heaven—to be with Jesus.
Otherwise, if our motivation is centered solely on this world, we will never
have peace. We may have all the things this world offers, but we will still
lack peace, for there is an absence of Christ in our lives.
Therefore, let us not be afraid of the challenges we might face for the sake of advancing the kingdom of God in this world, for this is the very reason for our existence. God created us to exist in this world so that we may bring others closer to Jesus.
Have you
already suffered for Christ? Have you already brought someone closer to Him? If
your answer is yes, you are truly blessed! —Marino J. Dasmarinas
Tumingin si Hesus sa mga alagad at kanyang sinabi, “Mapalad kayong mga dukha, sapagkat ang Diyos ang maghahari sa inyo!” “Mapalad kayong mga nagugutom ngayon, sapagkat kayo’y bubusugin!” “Mapalad kayong mga tumatangis ngayon, sapagkat kayo’y magagalak!”
“Mapalad
kayo kung dahil sa Anak ng Tao kayo’y kinapopootan, ipinagtatabuyan at
inaalimura ng mga tao, at pati ang inyong pangalan ay kinasusuklaman. Magalak
kayo at lumukso sa tuwa kung ito’y mangyari, sapagkat malaki ang inyong gantimpala
sa langit — gayun din ang ginawa ng kanilang mga ninuno sa mga propeta.”
“Ngunit sa aba ninyong mayayaman ngayon, sapagkat nagtamasa na
kayo ng kaginhawahan!” “Sa aba ninyong mga busog ngayon, sapagkat kayo’y
magugutom!” “Sa aba ninyong nagsisitawa ngayon, sapagkat kayo’y magdadalamhati
at magsisitangis!”
“Sa aba ninyo, kung kayo’y pinupuri ng lahat ng tao, sapagkat gayun din ang ginawa ng kanilang mga ninuno sa mga bulaang propeta.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get
enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them,
“How many loaves do you have? They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the crowd to
sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke
them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them
to the crowd.
They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over
them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They
picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand
people.
He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his
disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
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Reflection:
What kind of God is Jesus? He is a God of compassion and mercy. Jesus feels our loneliness when we are lonely. He cries with us when we cry. He feels the heavy load we carry when we are burdened by it.
Does His compassion and mercy stop with mere empathy? No, Jesus never stops thinking of ways to lighten the burdens we carry.
We see this deep compassion and mercy of Jesus in our Gospel today. When Jesus saw the crowd that had been following Him for days, He had deep compassion for them because they were already hungry and tired. His mercy and compassion led Him to think about how He could feed them.
So Jesus
asked His disciples for whatever food they had, and with seven loaves and a few
fish, He miraculously multiplied them to feed almost four thousand. This is how
merciful and compassionate Jesus is to those who follow Him.
Are you a
faithful follower of Jesus? —Marino J. Dasmarinas
“Saan po tayo kukuha ng tinapay dito sa ilang para magkasya sa
ganito karaming tao?” tugon ng mga alagad. “Ilan ang tinapay ninyo riyan?”
tanong ni Hesus. “Pito po,” sagot nila. Ang mga tao’y pinaupo ni Hesus sa lupa.
Kinuha niya ang pitong tinapay, at nagpasalamat sa Diyos. Pinagpira-piraso niya
ang mga iyon at ibinigay sa mga alagad upang ipamahagi sa mga tao.
Gayun nga ang ginawa ng mga alagad. Mayroon din silang ilang maliliit na isda. Muli siyang nagpasalamat sa Diyos, at iniutos niyang ibigay din iyon sa mga tao. Kumain ang lahat at nabusog; at nang tipunin nila ang mga pira-pirasong tinapay na lumabis, nakapuno sila ng pitong bakol na malalaki. At may apat na libo ang kumain. Pinayaon ni Hesus ang mga tao, saka siya sumakay sa bangka, at nagtungo sa lupain ng Dalmanuta.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
He ordered
them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they
proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all
things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
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Reflection:
The story is told of a man who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Of course, he was troubled—who wouldn’t be? But the man had great faith in Jesus, so he earnestly prayed for healing. He attended Mass every day, prayed the rosary regularly, and read his Bible fervently.
As the days, weeks, and months passed, there was a noticeable decline in his physical appearance. However, those around him also observed a deepening of his faith and confidence in Jesus. They noticed the peacefulness and calmness he exuded—so unlike a dying man.
In the Gospel, we are presented with a story of physical healing: a deaf man was able to speak again through the healing power of Jesus. With the help of those around him, the deaf man was brought closer to Jesus, after which he begged Him to lay His hand on him.
Jesus took the man away from the crowd, and in the stillness of the moment, He groaned and said, “Ephphatha!”—which means “Be opened.” The man was immediately healed; he could hear and speak once again.
Eventually, every one of us will fall ill, and we will all pray for physical healing from Jesus. However, not all of us will experience healing like the deaf man in the Gospel. Some of us will receive deep spiritual healing—the same kind of healing that the terminally ill man in our story received from Jesus.
Therefore, we
must take steps to draw closer to Jesus and build a relationship with Him. Let
us take the initiative now, rather than wait until we are in dire need of Him. —Marino
J. Dasmarinas
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
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Reflection:
What is the key to receiving what we ask from Jesus?
It is persistence. If we feel that Jesus does not hear our prayers, we must continue to call upon Him, never losing hope. We should never give up, because giving up is a sign of our lack of faith in Jesus.
The Syrophoenician woman in today’s Gospel never gave up on her request, even when she was tested by Jesus. She persisted and humbly begged Him to heal her daughter, who was possessed by a demon. Eventually, her persistence bore fruit—when she returned home, she discovered that her daughter was no longer possessed.
As we journey through this temporary world, we will inevitably face many challenges. However, we must not allow these trials to discourage us or separate us from Jesus. Instead, the more difficulties we encounter, the more we should persistently turn to Him for help.
For it is only through Jesus that we can endure the many trials and tribulations of this world. But what if, despite our persistent prayers, Jesus does not seem to answer? What should we do? We must continue to pray and have faith. The more we feel ignored, the more we must pray and trust in Him.
How strong is your faith in the Lord? —Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Ang babaing ito'y Hentil -- tubo sa Sirofenicia. Ipinamanhik niya
kay Hesus na palayasin ang demonyo na nasa kanyang anak; ngunit sinabi ni
Hesus, "Kailangang busugin muna ang mga anak. Hindi dapat kunin ang
pagkain ng mga anak upang ihagis sa mga tuta."
"Tunay nga po, Panginoon," tugon ng babae, "ngunit ang mga tuta mang nasa ilalim ng hapag ay naninimot ng mga mumong nalalaglag ng mga anak." Kaya't sinabi sa kanya ni Hesus, "Dahil sa sinabi mo, maaari ka nang umuwi. Iniwan na ng demonyo ang iyong anak." Umuwi ang babae, at naratnan niya sa higaan ang bata. Iniwan na nga ng demonyo.
When he got home away from the crowd his disciples
questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise
without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a
person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the
stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods
clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles
him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity,
theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy,
blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
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Reflection:
The story is told of a married man who was caught by his wife having an
adulterous relationship with his officemate. The wife told him, “I never
thought that you would be capable of doing this to me because you promised me
that you would be faithful until the end.”
Why is it that many of us commit sin and fail to live
out our faith? When tempted by Satan, we easily give in. Why is this so? I
don’t know. Perhaps it is due to our weak and superficial faith or because we
love this world more than we love God.
Jesus, in the Gospel, mentions that nothing that
enters us makes us sin, but what comes out of us does. Therefore, we must be
careful and discerning about the things we do. If we believe that our actions
may lead us to sin, then by all means, we should avoid them.
If there is a strong temptation to sin, we must
confront and resist it; otherwise, it will capture us. The danger with sin is
that it will never stop until it completely destroys us. For example, in the
case of adultery, couples engaged in this sinful relationship will likely
continue until they are caught and punished.
They indulge in this sin because Satan makes it appear
more attractive in their eyes. Under Satan’s spell, they continue without guilt
of conscience—the same Satan whose hidden and ultimate desire is to destroy
them.
Come to think of it—why is it that, even when we know
something is sinful, many of us still do it? The simple answer is that many
choose to embrace Satan rather than Jesus. Many gamble their very lives with
Satan instead of investing them with Jesus.
When you choose to be with Satan, you will be destroyed sooner or later. However, when you turn away from sin and surrender to Jesus, He will tirelessly work within you, to transform your heart and free you from the grip of sin. —Marino J. Dasmarinas
Iniwan ni Jesus ang mga tao; at nang makapasok na sa bahay, siya'y
tinanong ng kanyang mga alagad tungkol sa talinghaga. "Kayo man ba'y wala
ring pang-unawa?" tugon ni Hesus. "Hindi ba ninyo alam na hindi
nakapagpaparumi sa tao ang kinakain niya, sapagkat hindi naman iyon pumapasok
sa kanyang puso, kundi sa tiyan, at pagkatapos ay idinudumi." Sa pagsasabi
nito'y para nang ipinahayag ni Hesus na maaaring kanin ang lahat ng
pagkain.
Nagpatuloy siya sa pagsasalita: "Ang lumalabas mula sa tao ang nagpaparumi sa kanya sa mata ng Diyos. Sapagkat sa loob-- sa puso ng tao-- nagmumula ang masasamang isipang nag-uudyok sa kanya na makiapid, magnakaw, pumatay, mangalunya, mag-imbot, at gumawa ng lahat ng kabuktutan, tulad ng pagdaraya, kahalayan, pagkainggit, paninirang puri, kapalaluan, at kahangalan, Ang lahat ng ito'y nanggagaling sa puso ng tao, at siyang nagpaparumi sa kanya."
And there are many other things that they have
traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and
beds.) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not
follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is
written:
This people honors me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human
precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human
tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of
God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and
your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to
God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify
the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do
many such things.”
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Reflection:
Are you very strict in observing your customs and traditions?
The Pharisees were very particular about their customs and traditions, following them to the letter. So, when they saw that Jesus’ disciples ate their meals without washing their hands, they questioned Him about it.
They said to Jesus, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
Jesus responded, “You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!”
We see that Jesus placed more importance on God's commandments than on human traditions—on the interior rather than the exterior, on inner conversion rather than mere outward observance of laws.
The conversion that Jesus desires for us is one that involves a true change of heart and mindset. For example, instead of indulging in sin, we strive to avoid it. Instead of remaining in an environment where we have sinned, we completely walk away from it.
For Jesus,
what matters most is not our external actions but our internal conversion and
renewal.—Marino J. Dasmarinas
Ang mga Judio, lalo na ang mga Pariseo, ay hindi kumakain hangga't
hindi nakapaghuhugas ng kamay ayon sa mga turong minana nila sa kanilang mga
ninuno. Hindi rin sila kumakain ng anumang galing sa palengke nang hindi muna
ito hinuhugasan. At marami pang ibang minanang turo ang kanilang sinusunod,
tulad ng tanging paraan ng paghuhugas ng mga inuman, ng mga saro, ng mga
sisidlang tanso [at mga higaan].
Kaya't tinanong si Jesus ng mga Pariseo at mga eskriba,
"Bakit hindi sumusunod ang mga alagad mo sa mga turo ng ating mga ninuno?
Kumain sila nang hindi man lamang naghugas ng kamay ayon sa paraang
iniutos!" Sinagot sila ni Jesus, "Tama ang hula ni Isaias tungkol sa
inyo, gaya ng kanyang isinulat: 'Paggalang na handog sa 'kin ng bayan ko'y
paimbabaw lamang, Sapagkat sa bibig at hindi sa puso ito bumubukal. Pagpupuri't
pagsambang ginagawa nila'y walang kabuluhan, Ang utos ng tao ay itinuturong
utos ng Maykapal.'
Niwawalang-kabuluhan nga ninyo ang utos ng Diyos, at ang sinusunod
ninyo'y ang turo ng tao."Sinabi pa ni Jesus, "Kay husay ng paraan
ninyo sa pagpapawalang-bisa sa utos ng Diyos masunod lamng ninyo ang mga turong
minana ninyo! Tulad nito: iniutos ni Moises, 'Igalang mo ang iyong ama't ina';
at, 'Ang magsalita ng masama sa kanyang ama o ina ay dapat
mamatay.'
Ngunit itinuturo ninyo, 'Kapag sinabi ng isang tao sa kanyang ama o ina; Ang anumang maitutulong ko sa inyo ay Corban' (alalaong baga'y inihahain ko ito sa Diyos)-- hindi na ninyo siya pinahihintulutang tumulong sa kanyang ama o ina. Sa ganitong paraa'y niwawalang-kabuluhan ninyo ang salita ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng mga turong minana ninyo. at marami pang bagay na tulad nito ang ginagawa Ninyo.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch
only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.
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Reflection:
The
story is told about a man sick with cancer who asked the Lord, “Why am I
suffering, Lord? I can’t bear my sickness anymore, and I can’t endure the pain
of going through chemotherapy any longer.”
In
the Gospel, those who were able to touch the tassel of Jesus’ cloak were very
fortunate, for they received healing in return. This speaks volumes about their
faith and the power of Jesus.
But
not everyone who has faith is healed. There are those who have faith but
continue to suffer from their sickness. Sometimes, it may baffle us why they
physically suffer, considering that they also have faith and love Jesus.
The
healing that Jesus gives us is not always physical; oftentimes, it is spiritual.
This means that we are given the grace to accept our physical sickness and the
strength to completely surrender our lives to the great power and mercy of
Jesus.
There
are people who remain happy despite their physical sickness because they have
learned to offer their suffering to God. They understand that the suffering
they are undergoing is nothing compared to the suffering that Jesus endured.
There
will come a time when we, too, will get sick and suffer. Let us never forget to
offer our suffering to Jesus. Let us ask Him to help us endure our trials.
Though it may be difficult, let us learn to accept them and continue to have
enormous faith in the Lord.
How
is your faith in the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
